A lacrosse stick is generally comprised of a handle or stick portion which is part of or connected to the throat of a closed, generally V-shaped head portion. A net is affixed to the head portion to define a throwing and catching area. The net contains a shaped depression or pocket to improve control and handling of a lacrosse ball. The net can be comprised of at least one plastic material that is irreversibly distorted by repeated loading to form the pocket. This method of pocket forming requires time and effort to form the pocket and the properness of the pocket in the net depends upon the skill and experience of the person forming the pocket. Another method of forming a pocket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,062, entltled "Mesh Webbing for a Lacrosse Stick". The net is formed of expandible knitted mesh which is affixed to the head in such manner that the end portion of the mesh closest to the throat portion of the head is substantially free of expansion and the other end portion is widely expanded in accordance with the maximum width of the head. The unexpanded portion of the mesh is readily deformable to form a pocket in the vicinity of the throat portion of the head. A problem with this method of forming a pocket is that it is not possible to move the location of the pocket in accordance with the desires of a user of the lacrosse stick.
A cantiliver motion of the stick is used to propel the ball from the pocket of the net. The arcuate motion of the stick causes the ball to roll upward from the pocket toward the head of the stick. The natural and undesired action of the cantilevered motion of the stick is to generate a velocity component on the ball normal to the intended direction. The tendency of the ball to fly off the end of the stick in throwing is corrected by weaving one or more separate strings into and across the top of the net at the desired point of release of the ball. The discontinuity of the throwing string is sufficient to check the outward velocity of the ball, and the release point of the ball from the stick is thereby defined. The tension of the throw string is important, and if the throw string is too loose, the stick will throw high, and if the throw string is too tight the ball will hook or be deflected downward. The throw string tends to loosen with play and needs adjustment periodically.